I am a pro-life Democrat. Even though I believe women should have a choice to carry to term or not, I still respect life.  I believe that being pro-life is more than anti-abortion. It is respecting every aspect of life and giving a voice to those whose is muffled or silenced.

     Growing up in a democratic house and being friends with people who shared most of the same views as me, I was taught that pro-life is anti-abortion and it is just white Republican men trying to keep women from making their own decisions.

    But coming to STA and making new friends with different views,  I have learned that pro-life is more than the pro-birth and anti-abortion part, it’s about respect. It’s about respecting the lives of others equally regardless of beliefs, race, gender, and sexuality

    This year when I was talking to a friend about how I’m pro-life, a woman overhears me and tells me that because of my Republican views the world is going crap. I’m not a Republican and being pro-life doesn’t make me one. Being pro-life is not a conservative or liberal idea, it is a choice for an individual to make. Being pro-life doesn’t define what party you vote for or what else you believe in.

    I don’t believe because I am pro-life, I am the problem or the reason this worlds going to crap. Pro-life is exactly what it says — being for the life of others. To that means being against the children at the border who are separated by the families and put in cages. It means defending those who can’t defend themselves because of unjust laws.

   That seems like a pretty liberal idea, but because of the connotation that comes with pro-life, it is assumed to be a conservative idea. Pro-life is an idea that is impossible to be for one party or the other.  It can’t be possible to want to ban abortion but still allow laws such as the constitutional carry, that allows anyone to carry a firearm without a permit if you meet previous requirements to purchase a firearm.

    You’d think that being pro-life would be thought of more than the anti-abortion or a  republican movement. Yet because of the way pro-life gets twisted and misconstrued in the media and by politicians, it blurs the ideals of the movement and changes how outsiders view the movement and the people involved.

    Pro-life is more than the Democratic party, the Republican party, the church or any group. It’s an idea and I believe a good idea. It doesn’t silence women, and it doesn’t make the world crap. It is a movement that protects people and their life. It protects those who can’t protect themselves and most importantly it gives everyone equal respect. To me, it doesn’t matter who you are because you are a human and you deserve respect.